Cherish the Time You Have
by nekomixe
Summary: Kaiba watches Joey sleep and thinks over his relationship with the other boy. Contains fluff, sappiness, and boylove but nothing graphic. [Please note: This story is being reposted as my previous account was frozen a year or so ago.]


Kaiba watches Joey sleep and thinks over his relationship with the other boy.

A/N: This story is being reposted as my previous account was frozen a year or so ago.

WARNINGS: sappy, fluffy, maybe a bit sad. Slight shounen ai, but nothing graphic or described.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters.

Sometimes even Kaiba was surprised by how much he had changed just by letting Joey Wheeler into his life. The CEO rolled over in bed and lifted himself up to rest his head on his hand, his elbow supporting him as he looked down on the sleeping blonde's face. It certainly wasn't an attractive sight. Joey's mouth hung open, drool pooling on the left side where it touch the pillow, and soft, rhythmic snoring slipped through his parted lips with the same rough, nasally tone the boy used in his speech. Kaiba shook his head and nudged the boy impatiently with his free hand, but the blonde merely grunted and rolled closer, nuzzling like a blind puppy.

"Hmph... Even when you're sleeping, you're annoying," the dark-haired teen muttered, but a small smile tugged at his upper lip, and he didn't push the other boy away. Instead, he lay back down, stretching out across the crimson satin sheets, and pulled his companion closer, enjoying the heat of the smaller boy's body next to his. It was rare to be able to cherish Joey's company without having to deal with his constant chatter, or worse yet, his depressed silences. As strange as it sounded, although he would never admit it to anyone, When the blonde was asleep was when Kaiba loved him the most freely. He didn't have to mask his moods, surpress his emotions or withhold his affection because of what someone else might think. No one else was there to ruin the moments - he could treasure and cherish the time that he had any way he pleased.

With that thought in mind, he silently watched Joey sleep in his arms as the clock on the wall behind them slowly ticked by the seconds. The blonde's hair was matted and rumpled, his eyes tiredly closed and his clothes disarrayed, but in Seto Kaiba's eyes, he was beautiful. There was no sarcastic smirk on Joey's face, no hurt look in his eyes... Kaiba often wondered if the blonde was happiest when he slept. The sweetest, purest smiles only seemed to cross his face while his eyes were closed, and his mind elsewhere. At first it had bothered the CEO. Jealousy and curiosity had drove him wild and kept him awake at night, peering intently into the other teen's dreaming face, waiting for that rare elation to show itself again, but now, instead of dreading it, Kaiba anticipated it. It was like a secret he wasn't meant to find- a side to the blonde even Joey himself didn't know about.

In his arms, Joey murmurred softly, wordlessly and his head fell back, his lips slightly parted. Kaiba had learned quickly in the two short weeks he had been 'with' the blonde that Joey was a deep sleeper, so the brunette didn't hesitate when his urges prodded him. Leaning down, he pressed his own lips against Joey's, smiling into the kiss as he felt the boy under him instinctively kiss back, with a soft, "Mmmm..."

"Slut," Kaiba teased in a low whisper, before pulling back and chuckling. He knew without looking at the bedside table that the alarm would be going off soon. The sun was already beginning to peek out from under his blinds, and, what had begun as a soft purr was now a roar of life outside the bedroom window. Soon even Joey wouldn't be able to sleep through the noise of life calling, and would wake up. Soon Kaiba would have to put on his fake frown and empty eyes and pretend the love squeezing his heart so tightly was just lust; even if he knew how much such a lie would hurt them both. A weak sigh escaped his lips. He wished he could keep the same expression on his face when Joey's eyes were open, but pride could be such a hard habit to break...

There were only a few minutes left. Depression tried to tug at his spirit, but he pushed it back down. Those emotions could wait; for now, he would cherish the time he still had with Joey's sweet, secret smile.


End file.
